Search form

Government agrees to include cuts to Service Award in its judicial review of Bill 148

"Seeing today's amendment shows the impact our members can have when we unite together and make sure our voices are heard." — Jason MacLean, NSGEU President

Halifax (05 Oct. 2017) — Jason MacLean, President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU/NUPGE), is pleased that the Premier has amended the judicial review of Bill 148 to include the articles that strip working people of benefits they earned in previous collective agreements.

Public service workers' pressure forced government to amend judicial review

"We have been clear from the beginning, we believe Bill 148 is not constitutional, and I'm pleased to see that the Premier is now willing to send those articles to the court for review," said McLean.

When the Nova Scotia government enacted Bill 148 on August 22, they stated that they were sending Bill 148 to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeals for a judicial review. A day later, it was reported that they only sent the section related to wage patterns for review.

"Since Bill 148 was enacted we have been calling on Stephen McNeil to send the entire bill for review. Public service workers from many different unions converged on the legislature's opening day and we ran ads across Nova Scotia to make sure working people's voices were heard," said MacLean. "Seeing today's amendment shows the impact our members can have when we unite together and make sure our voices are heard."

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 370,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. — NUPGE